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Vol. II— No, 6. 



THIS NUMBER COMPLETES 
VOLUME II. 



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Vol. II —No. 6. 



FEBRUARY 



1916. 



Shot and Shell. 



We haven't any Festubert 
To call our little Waterloo, 

lint, faith, it is a mora! cert, 
We will before we're through ; 

■pESTUBERT, to the man In the street, to the 
man who reads his morning paper behind 
his breakfast cup, is a thing of the past, an 
event of history, doubtless, but a phenomenon 
in a multitude of other phenomena similar in all 
respects. < >ue soldier is pretty much the same 
as another; a soldier in action in milch the 
same tiling as another soldier in action ; and so 
one battle is much the same as another, to the 
civilian, at least, who reads his history from the 
books, and follows his country's battles in the 
arm-chair. 

***** 

But there are those who, drawn in the 

whirling vortex of life, live in and through the 

experiences of Time and Fate. Tried and 

\. even as by fire, they become, none the 

■ecause human, the unalloyed elements in 

the crucible of war. That the trial and the test 

iHfferent men in different ways must go 

without saying for there are many moulds and 

patterns in the workshop of life, 

***** 

Such men do not. and will not, see life through 
ihe rose-coloured spectacles of the arm-chair 



And when we stand to twins, alert, 

We'll leap the parapet, and you 
Who've t a sled of a Fesitib e rt 

Will know axotfii-.r Waterloo. 

optimist, or of the poet of the Spring. They 
view the thing with a clearer eye. through a 
pair of Arniv goggles or a periscope, and they 
are nn-[- downhearted. Not a bit. 

***** 
We admire beyond measure the cheery 
optimism, the unfailing humour and grit of the 
boys of the Hordons and the Black Watch, 
whom we will always remember as our first 
preceptors in the then (to its) strange and 
difficult art of trench strategy and manoeuvre. 
We acknowledge their prowess and recognise 
the glories of a Festubert such as theirs. We 
arc proud to have known them, and will be 
prouder still to accompany them in the 
' charge.' 

***** 

But when all is said we have a feeling that 
we will do very well on our own, and when it 
comes to the hit we will adorn our records with 
a greater than Festubert — ' another Waterloo.' 
■ Whit, greater than Festubert? fower times 
— — ",'.' Ay, greater than Festubert. 

Blank File. 



. 






Kill 



THE OUTPOST. 



ICKENS? 




/~)N" the first day of April, of th? j'ear two 
thousand and sixteen of the Christian era, 
there were assembled in Codford, an outlying 
suburb of the great Metropolis, a number of 
worthy gentlemen who had journeyed from all 
parts of the country. The occasion which had 
called together this select audience was not an 
ordinary one. Exactly one hundred years ago, 
the great huropean struggle had been broughi 
to a glorious conclusion, a conclusion that 
terminated for ever the spirit of Prussian 
militarism, and ushered in the dawn of universal 
Peace. 

As every schoolboy now knows, this great 
war, after dragging wearily on for almost two 
years was suddenly and dramatically brought 
to an end by tire .appointment of a Business 
Government, under the leadership of one whose 
name will always command and stir our feelings 
of pride and gratitude — the then Mr. Horatio 
Topley, afterwards Earl Full. 

The thousand and one histories of the war — 
popular and unpopular— which have been put 
before the public since that time have made us 
thoroughly familiar with all this. But we 
digress. The task which lies before its ts to 
chronicle the proceedings leading up to the 
formation of the S.A.H.R.S.P.U.S.G.W., or, to 
give it its full title, the Society for Advanced 
Historical Research on Scientific Principles into 
the Undiscovered Souvenirs of the Great War. 

The Society fiad its origin in the brain of that 
remarkable man Mr. Samuel W. Pickwick. He 
it was who had called together this assemblage 
of earnest and intellectual patriots, lie it: was 
who, as the clock struck the hour of eight, rose 
from his chair and faced the audience, with the 
benign smile, the rich inheritance of his famons 
ancestor, whom he resembled both in appear- 
ance and in his unsatiable thirst for knowledge. 
As to the latter, it will become apparent as we 
chronicle the doings of the Society. A few 
words'will suffice for the former. 



Mi 1 . 1'ickwick was a man of middle age. He 
had, in fact, just graduated into the Landsturm, 
and it is an eloquent testimony to the ardour of 
his patriotic spirit that even his drab army 
experience had not succeeded in quenching his 
admiration for the heroes of a bygone age. 
His jocund countenance was redeemed from 
insipidity by the fine contour of his lofty fore- 
head, which merged, almost imperceptibly, into 
a noble dome, from which the hair had long 
since executed a strategic retreat (due perhaps 
to the abnormal bracing of the intellectual 
muscles), leaving only what resembled a tuft 
of Zambesi cotton on either flank. A pleasant 
smile hovered continually at the corners of his 
mouth, and the eyes behind the gold-rimmed 
spectacles sparkled like the. summer sun on a 
maid's first engagement ring. When he com- 
menced to address the audience his mellow voice 
Hooded the room like the tones of a modern 

( ;i llii ipc. 

" Gentlemen," he declared, " to-night we 
meet here to celebrate the centenary of Peace, to 
perpetuate the imperishable memory of our 
heroic forefathers before whose irresistible 
onslaught fell the Colossus which threatened to 
devour and destrov all that was noble, good, 
beautiful, and true, in this world of ours. 
To-day will witness throughout the civilised 
world — even in the now free and enlightened 
Germany — the waving of tenners, the unveiling 
of more and still more statues, the expression 
of the wildest enthusiasm in its various forms, 
from the shouting and the fireworks of the 
children to the drinking of patriotic toasts in 
the extra tot of rum allowed to our aged poor 
in the various institutions where their declining 
years are passing. But we arc here to-niglit to 
consider a higher, a worthier means of keeping 
alive the memory of those days. 

"Gentlemen," he proceeded, "our object 
to-night is the inauguration ofj a Society for 
Advanced Historical Research into the Undis- 
covered Souvenirs of the Great War ! " 



THE OUTPOST. 



107 



During the prolonged outburst of applause 
which greeted this momentous announcement, 
the great man was seen to drink copiously from 
a glass of vin rouge avec citron, afterwards 
removing, polishing, and carefully adjusting, the 
go Id -rimmed spectacles. The applause having 
a1 length subsided, he resumed. 

" Gentlemen, I have always striven worthily 
to follow in the footsteps of mv famous ancestor, 
whose journeyings through this fair land of ours 
were chronicled by the immortal pen of the 
master. But what splendid opportunities we 
have, what a glorious field for research compared 
with his. Let us not be found wanting when 
coming generations shall examine the fruits of 
our enterprise. In the fields of Flanders and 
fair France a wealth of treasure awaits our 
operations. Let us not fail to grasp our 
opportunities." 

We shall not follow Mr. Pickwick tluoughout 
his long and eloquent oration, which was 
punctuated by repeated outbursts of applause. 
It is merely necessary to state that after various 
routine formalities the Society was constituted, 
and that Mr. Pickwick was appointed to the 
presidential chair. It was, also agreed that he, 
accompanied by four other members, he 
appointed to proceed forthwith to the actual 
scene of the war. 

* * * * * 

.The peregrinations and adventures of the 
Society's representatives will be described in 
subsequent issues,] 

Vikim,. 



Whizz-bangs. 

i. 

\\n' ATS the particular type of shell, 
" That spreads a particular type of smell, 
And makes all the Tommies swear like 11 — 1 ? 
It's the Whizz-bang I 



Some may think that the rats are bad, 
And with some Hie mud is now a fad, 
But nothing makes us quite so mad 
As the Whizz-bang ! 



When we hear its whizzing overhead, 
We know that nothing need be saidj 
So, down in the mud as if in bed. 

We jink the Whizz-bang I 

tv. 
Kite grenades and Jack Johnson shells 
Gist over most their repugnant spells ; 
Hut neither the spirit of Tommy quells 
Like the Whizz-bang I 



But we have a way that will upset 
The gunner who shoots, and he'll pay his debt 
To that bright little thing called the bayonet, 
For his Whizz-bang ! 



And when this little " dust-up "is o'er, 
And we're thankful to think of Fritz no more, 
One noseeap we'll prize although we feel sore 
At the Whizz- bang ! 

T. C. 




Drawn fa 



CAMI 1 KUMOUKS-1V. WINSTON IS TO BE ONE OF US. 



Pit. W. Sttwort. 



KS8 



THE OUTPOST. 



Letters from the Front. 




Drawn by 



L.-Sst. G. W. Prevail. 



'Somewhere ln France/' 



My Dear Fuank, 

Your impatience to know what I am 
doing, and how I am situated has at length 
roused me from ;i lethargy, not so much of body 
as of mind, in which i have been sunk for some 
days, Van will say I am not paid to think, but 
that, in my opinion, only applies to Army 
affairs ; I, at any rate, am in the habit of 
thinking long and luxuriously of pretty ladies 
and tender steaks for instance— things which 
are unknown here, and cannot be indented fur. 
For some days 1 have been incapable of that . . . 

We came "here for a week's rest after a spell in 
the trenches, and, being first to arrive, 1 
immediately sought out our genial Q-M.-S. who 
undertook to show me our billet. We went 
■ low n the street together, and presently lie said, 
" there it is," with a vague jerk of the head. 
1 peered over a steamy refuse-heap and saw a 
pretty « lute-washed farm-house. There was a 
trim maiden on the door-step. My heart leaped 
within me; this was worth all our trials. 
" Rough life for the horses," 1 remarked, 
directing his attention to a ramshackle shed in 



which a few bedraggled fowls were trying to eke 
a tiring out of some filthy straw, "That's 
your billet," he snarled, suspecting a joke. 
And so it proved to be. 

In three days we had settled down. The 
larger holes (or openings) in the walls we covered 
w ilk sacking stolen from the CJ-M.'s Stores, 
While this didn't diminish the draught, it 
filtered the air coining in and made the heap at 
the doorstep less intrusive, so to speak. The 
rats claimed our attention next. As an 
interesting experiment we transfixed one with a 
bayonet, and nailed him outside as a warning to 
his fellows, who, however, promptly ate him up, 
and begged for more ; they even spread the 
news round lis.- ui her billets. So u c had 1" 
resort to coating the w-alls with tinned Army 
slew. I It is r.ol only discouraged llveiu bill 
also kept our own appetites within bounds. 

When a parcel arrived we went outside to eat. 
The floor was the great difficulty. We tried to 
forget about it by laying down our waterproof 
sheets, bid it was no use. We lay and thought 
of what the former tenants, the hens, had found 
good to eat in it, and every time one of us moved 
the other watched stealthily to see if he 
scratched. We wouldn't have disturbed that 
surface for anything on earth. The result was 
that many small articles were lost in the lop 
dressing. If a Staff Officer, or other dignitary 
high enough up to have chicken for lunch, should 
happen to find a set of false teeth (gold-plated) 
as lie carves his fowl, number — platoon, i/lh 
H.L.I, will be interested to know of the happy 
event. In trying to make that billet habitable 
we didn't spare ourselves, 1 assure you. I 
mum. I a copy of La Vie Parisienne, and decor- 
ated the walls with the most alluring pictures, 
and we stuck paper in every crevice. The rats, 
of course, pushed it out again during the night, 
but the rustling gave us time to plan an attack. 
Every detail was carefully thought out. For 
instance, to stay the braying, during the night 
watches, of an insistent donkey next door, we 
look turns of standing-to ready to shove Army 
bread down his throat, 1 can't commend the 
method, however, as the grit made him cough, 
and that was pretty er — -awful. Someone 
' acquired ' a bra/.ier, and I ' Found ' a bag of 
coke, so with a few beams Monsieur hadn't 
known he could spare from his stable we made 
a fire, and fondly hoped to be forgotten for the 
duration of the war. True, it was a disadvan- 
tage to be able to watch the stars through the 
ceiling when a suell wind was blowing, but if we 
pulled our blankets well over our shoulders, 
kept on all our clothing, including smoke 
hehnel and identification disc, and snuggled 
close to the fire, we could almost get warm 
enough to fall asleep. Just think of that now ! 
as Uncle James would say. ' 



THE OUTPOST. 



I nil 



Of course the inevitable happened, Bui for 

our t'oiiloiimlcil t-nt liiisi.isni m- might have 
foreseen the consequences. Monsieur looked in 
one night as we were sitting round the fire and 
decided rt was the very place for bis maiden 
aunt, so we were forthwith ejected. We are 
now in a new biflel resembling, but worse than, 
the oh I one before reconstruction. 

Did we star ,11 over again ? Did we whai ! 
Thank Heaven, we go back to the trenches 
to-morrow. Best of luck, old man. 

Yours sincerely, r] . ,. ■■ 

.*- .*. -*- 




XT has always struck me as unfortunate that 
there is no Book of Hints which could he 
handed to a recruit on his arrival amongst us. 
There is no doubt that a young chap, fresh from 
a city life, is at a decided disadvantage among 
a lot of ' old soldiers ' who know the ropes 
thoroughly. Perhaps the following hints will 
serve as a guide to the many young fellows who 
are now joining us ; — 

i. -Don't go about as if you wen- afraid to 
speak to anyone. If you see a Lieutenant, a 
Captain, or a Major, whose fare seems familiar, 
just go up and slap him on the hack and say, 
" How do. old sport 1 How's the war going ? " 

I h will not reprove you. You are not supposed 
to know any better. 

>. — Brains are quite unnecessary equipment 
in a Private's person, so, if yon possess any, von 
had better conceal the fact as much as possible. 
For instance, if a. man with brains were told, 
"When I sex 'alt, you don't 'alt, but walks 
right on," he might think there was something 
wrong. Well, there isn't, at least, there isn't 
supposed to he, 

3, — Occasionally you will be asked to go on 
parade. This need not upset you. 11 is only 
ilone to see how quickly you can invent an 
excuse to evade it. Of course, there are many 
excuses. The best, so far, are ' dentist,' 
orderly,' ' sick,' and ' fatigue.' If you take 
one of these every day you may go for weeks 
without parading. 



4.— If yon want to go sick you must first of 
all have a good excuse. Here you must be very 
careful, as you have a wary man to deal with. 
1 >on't go up with some old excuse that has been 
1 ried a thousand times. He will only give you a 
dose of castor oil and send you on parade. ' The 
only excuse which works at all is " Pain iti back, 
Sir," which has never been known to fail. No 
doctor on earth can tell whether you really 
have a pain in the back or net. 

5, — If you feel you would like a day off any 
time, just take it. In all probability' you will 
get a few days' C.B. on your return, but thai 
needn't concern you. The greatest General-- 
that ever lived have all done C.B. in their day. 
I am sure you have noticed C.B. after their 
:i inn s many a time. 

6. — In conclusion, always remember that 
ignorance is your greatest asset. Should you 
be pulled up for anything just look simple and 
say " I didn't know. Sir." You will get off 
every time, ignorance is really so useful that 
it naturally follows the less you learn the better 
you will get on. 

Beziqcte. 




Lraiun by 



Pn. A. Birrtll. 



R. \.M.(\ [with r6 stone Jock aboard) — " I wish 
1.1, Goad the Bantams were bol here." 



L_ 



170 



THE OUTPOST. 



Listening Post. 



•HTO the lay mind the term " Listening Post " 
conveys no meaning at all, but to a 
soldier and, according to our Sergeant-Major, 
we are all soldiers now — the term is full of 
significance. In semi -technical language, a 
listening post is a species of sentry post situated 
at the end of a sap leading from a lire trench in 
the direction of the enemy's position m a 
distance from the fire trench entirely dependant 
upon the positions held by the opposing force;;. 
At the end of this sap is situated a cavity 
Occasional! v provided with two shelters, in the 
form of covered-in seats, in which two sentries 
take up a position for the purpose of listening 
for the slightest sound from the enemy's 
direction, which may perhaps signify an impend- 
ing attack, or the presence of a German patrol 
or working party. It is, of course, the duty of 
the two men to report any sound suggestive of 
the proximity of the enemy outside their own 
barbed wire, or any lights or flares of a 
mysterious nature which they may observe. 
Needless to sav the part played by a listener 
is now and then an exciting one, and, to an 
individual gifted with a nervous temperament, 
it is a somewhat strenuous one, especially on a 
dark night. 

When the Platoon Sergeant popped his head 
into a certain dug-out and, amongst sew in I 
things which the writer has scruples against 
mentioning here, says that Wilson and M' Kenzie 
will go on duty in half-an-hour at the listening 
post, Messrs. Wilson and M'Kenzie indulge in a 
few muttered remarks, also unprintable, con- 
cerning the aforementioned Sergeant, but 
proceed to lay down their rifles, on the cleaning 
of which they have been busily engaged during 
the afternoon, and gather together any odds 
and ends which may tend to improve conditions 
of fife for them during their approaching twelve 
hours of duty. Such a collection mav Comprise 



a cake or so of chocolate, a piece of " du pain," 
the array name lor French bread, and perhaps a 
i ■ tuple hi army biscuits, in addition to any extra 
clothing which thev inav consider necessarv. 

At dusk a Corporal explains the duties to his 
charges, and leads them to their post. He 
guides them up a muddy sap, often to the 
accompaniment of an energetic German machine 
gun. The sap, however, is usual lv well 
protected, and the bullets fly harmlessly over 
the parapet, or bury themselves with a dull thud 
in an unoffending sandbag. Instinctively ! lu- 
men assume a crouching attitude, but. crawl 
itlong as quickly as the action of their gum 
boots in the mud will permit. After what 
seems an interminable period the actual posl is 
reached, and on first sight does not appeal to 
one as an altogether ideal spol to spend a night 
in (a facetious private, who mentioned that the 
listening post reminded him of Brodie's Bar 
Parlour, is iiuu ,.u his way to the Base). 

However, war is war, and it is with a glim 
smile that the Corporal, with a linal, and 
seemingly needless warning not to go to sleep; 
re-enters the sap and slowly wends his way 
back to the main trench, and eventually to his 
next group. Oerisiona.llv he leaves his victims 
in possession of a live bomb to amuse themselves 
with, giving them instructions to hurl it among 
any Germans who mav indulge in archaeological 
research in the vicinity of the British lines. 
A vast amount of amusement can be derived 
from taking out the pin and working the little 
handle up and down, QnGe, however, one of 
our bombers did this, and the bomb, through 

s r Fault in its construction, went off, and the 

Sergeant-Major was very angry, as it meant an 
alteration in his stores list. 

The impression which a nervous individual 
gets on listening posl is thai it is absolutely 
surrounded by Huns, crawling cautiously 





















ri 


















-*; 


* 


















- ->ke9 







Photo by 



THE CLYDE. DUMBARTON ROCK. 



Strtt. A . G. Deans. 



THE OUTPOST, 



171 



towards the post, loaded up with bombs ready 
to dro]) wholesale on the heads of the w 

.■■entries. i an\ rate, : nr le-ruer 

thought about it for the first half-hour or so, 
and quite a peri d elapsed before either of the 
two passed any remark. As fcheir nerve 
gradually became accustomed to the tension 
they indulged in a whispered conversation. 
After a few very uncomplimentary remarks had 
been passed regarding His Imperial Majesty, 
the German Emperor, the War Office, and the 
Platoon Sergeant, the conversation became 
more general. 

" A wish A hadna' been in such a [word 

:, ,/■ of i hurcj to jitie ! 

" Ay, so dae I. We should only hae been 
ikinkin' aboot it noo. We've been in this 
business aboot fifteen months too long." 

" This is a dam funny Battalion. They gie 
ye a dug hiskit an* a mooth-fu' o" caukl tea, and 
shove ve lip a drain." 

" Ay, and when ye ask fur a bit chuck, they 
tell ye ye've got yer rations. Ye had nae 
business to eat them. Ye canna get oily mair ! " 

" A think some yiu must snaffle our grub." 

" Ay, it's gey queer whar it a' gangs tae — an' 
there's no even a Sergeants' Mess here 1 " 

" Dae ye think A could risk a lag ? " 

" Ka. man, ve (anna spark a match here. 
Ye'U hae a wmzz-bang doon yer neck." 

" Are ye feart fur them, man ? " 

" Na, bat ve krn ye get shut fur daciu' thing 
like that." 

" Wid ,ye no' like a cusliie \ " 

" \y [fine — )is.t a wee bit shrapnel in ma 
leg." 

" Ay, entif lav last lill the war's feeilished." 

" This war'll never feenish ! " 

" Hoo dae ve — Whit the divil wis thai : " 

" It's onK a rat, man— dinna loss yir heid ' 

" A rat ? Man, that wis as big as a eoUie 
dug ! " 

" Mind versel'. Here's Crime Sark. 

The steady suck-sock of approaching feci 
could be heard in the sap, presumably belonging 
to the Visiting Officer going his rounds 
Presently he came in sight, am war informed 
that there was nothing unusual to report; 

Alter two hours had elapsed the two friends 
effected a hasty exit mi their relief by the 
C .rporal on duty, and proceeded to their 
dug-out to spend a well earned two hours' rest. 
By the time a dixie full of hot cale an lr.it had 
been prepared, tt was almost time to go on duty 
again. 

A few minuti the hour 

the relieving Corporal was heard at the ; 
the dug-out stairs. 

" Please turn out, gentlemen almost lime 
to go on — very sorry to disturb you. Just 
when you're ready." Quit* often theCorporal 



brings along a can of hot tea and a bun for his 
men, about midnight. — We don't think. 

The reliefs required no second bidding, 
however, and in a few brief seconds were 
standing by the Corporal's side, rifle in hand. 
ready to accompany him to their post. After a 
short duck walk parade, they found themselves 
again trviug to pierce the gloom beyond the 
barbed wire, when the conversation was 
resumed in an almost inaudible tone. 
Hoo are ve feelin*, Tarn ? " 

" Oh, no sae bad — gey sleepy," 

" Could ye go a guid feed ? " 

"Whit ? 1 should say so. Abcot a pun o' 
ham and hauf a dizen eggs, an' a plate o' 
parriteh." 

" They say the first fower years o' this'll be 
the worst ! " 

" Whit- Fower years ? " 

" Ay— Kitchener said that at a spree." 

" Dae ye think he kens aught aboot it ? " 

" Oh — A dinna ken." 

" Dae ye think he wis ever on this job ? " 

" Naw, A'm dam sure he wisna." 

Here the conversation lapsed for a short time. 

*' Are ye slecpm'. Tarn ? " 

" Naw— Dry up " 

" Are ye sleepin', jimmie ? " 

Xaw — whit time is it ? " 

" Hie, Tarn, dinna gang to sleep," 

" A 1 rieht. Is it no aboot time we wur gettin' 
relieved ? " 

• ' Saw — Ye've an hour an' a hauf to gang yit." 

" Dam ! " 

" Waken up man — Ye'll be shot I " 

" Whit aboot it." 

" l'"nr guidness sake, waken up." 

" A' richt." 

After what appeared like an eternity, the 
Corporal appeared to relieve them. 

" 1 loo dae ye like that job ? " 

" Oh, no had, but A wish the war wis 
leenished ! " 

" Nae word o' it bein' feenished yit ? " 

J. T. S. 

r& I*. A 

Memory. 

f\H Memory, whose golden accents sweet 
^"^ Re- echo down the vale »f yesterdays, 

Into thy clear grey eyes I love to gaze, 
Within whose depths both joy and sorrow meet. 
Oft-times while silting on my pleasant Seal, 
Beneath the shelter oi the leafy mane 
Of some otd monarch of the woodland ways, 
1 hear the mellow music of thy feet ; 
1 ben quickly do I lay aside my book 

\ml follow i puck wherever thou dost go, 
By well-wont paths to some beloved nook 

Wherein the sweet forget-me-nots do grow, 
Bu1 chiefly to thai spot beside the brook 
Where lirsr love's dear enchantment I did know. 

K. B, 



172 



THE OUTPOST. 



Dug-Outs, 



TUST listen to me 

" And you will agree 
That we're merry and happy, no doubl 

And then you will say, 

" Oh I isn't he gay " 
When I tell you about our dug- out. 



(Jur seats are our packs, 
No support to our backs, 
,\n«l our table a sandbag or 1 wo. 
Our wardrobe a space 

In the walls ol the place, 
liial [lie r.i'.s ^>> scampering through 



It's a hole in the ground, 

By props it's made sound, 
And the mud all around it smells good. 

We've- mud a I our meals, 

So gritty it feels. 
For it constitutes part of our too I 



The dug-outs have walls 

That spell water-tails, 

And the roof rains its torrent ill tune. 

And when we lie down 

On mud that is brown, 

Then we hail out our beds with a spoon 



The " staircase " is low. 
And we bow as we go, 
An 1 most time we're down on our knees. 
We slip and vie slide 

Liki- ■ In' v, ilil i ;,d'V ^li-lr. 
I hi-ii we lan:l iu a lump on the cheese I 



But don't you forget, 
Yon can make a sure bet 

On our life being cheery and gay, 
Tor though we may grouse, 
We'll stick our mud house, 

Till exchanged for the one o'er the way ! 



T. C, 



k" 







Drawn by 



Christmas Eve in "The South Beach" Lounge. 



Ptt. J. M'K. rhtmien. 



_ 



THE OUTPOST. 



17.1 



^iTnLfniLDREris (ormer™. 








*=N^ 



My Dear Young Friends, 

Perhaps you expect me to tell you 
how the war is going on out here, and all about 
the straffing; But I am sorry to say I can't, 
f am afraid of the censor. And besides I have 
not seen a Glasgow paper for a few days. They 
know all about it. If you want to know ail 
about it too, just you read these newspapers. 
Then you will know exactly what is not 
happening. 

But I will tell you a few little tales which you 
don't require to believe unless you like. In the 
fnM place, the Bosches have suffered a serious 
loss. Last month 1 told you about the kindly 
old caretaker, Johnny Allemund they called 
him. At least, so our predecessors called him. 
Well, he is dead now. He died of old age, and 



Ins son has now got his job, and is holding the 
G erm an 1 in e. A n d so, of course, things are much 
livelier here now, because the new watchman is 
much younger. He is only about eighty and is 
making things quite hot for us. That is why 
you see (Ms district referred to occasionally in 
the Press Bureau reports now. 

No doLibl you would like to hear a little about 
some of the more serious things we do. Well, 
I will tell you. Do you remember the night 
■ iterations at Totley — which were devised 
purely to annoy us and keep us out of Sheffield 
at night. We all marched up to the top of a 
hill and we all marched down again. Of course 
we went fca'fly quietly and extended, and so on. 
Well, that is what we did here one night, but we 
had a rest, when we were extended here on the 
hill for about seven hours. Luckily the night 
w,ii, hman v. ,i-, asleep, bul he goi ,i fearful 
surprise when he woke in the morning and found 
what we had done. And he has been very wild 
about it ever since. 

Now, some of the folks at home are very 
worried about the description of the trenches 
which I gave last month. Well the trenches are 
greatly improved now, and we are becoming 
quite proud of them. At present they are only 
paved with wooden duck walks, but when we 
get them laid with nice gravel, and have grass 
i and flower beds on the parapets, they will 
be quite pretty. The barbed wire will all be 




(amr 1/ fyl Quw.' 



£wwrt iy 



Pic. Wn:. Stewart. 



114 



THE OUTPOST. 



painted too, and there wilt be wee refreshment 
rooms, just like Rouken (Hen. 

So, ii the folks at home sent! us a few packets 
of flower seeds we will see what we can do in ihe 
way of flowers and even fruit. A tree for 
growing tinned pears would be very nice. 
Perhaps it would take too long to grow. The 
war might be finished before then — or worse 
even — we might make an advance. That 
would not be so nice. So we might ju.it give 
them the hint to send tinned pears instead of 
waiting. 

There is another suggestion I have heard for 
beautifying the trenches. There should be a 
wee cafe here and there. It would be so much 
more genteel to take your mm in a select cafe 
than to vulgarly pass* a tin mug from man to 
man along a trench. 

That is one point where we scoie by being out 
here. We get our " morning " quite early — 
that is if we do get if. We don't need to wait 
till mid-day as they do at home now. 

All the same I think we would be quite glad 
to put up with even that hardship if we had the 
chance. 

Your loving 

Uncle James. 

*A split infinitive! Oh, Jimmy ! — Ep. 

-*• -*■ -■*-■ 

T j -r 

The " Featherbed* s *' Prayer. 

M Hiiglity r i* Lhe lenn useil by sohliepi to indicate an injury or 
illness sufTiciemly severe to neccssiiatc a i rip to Engtand, 

NOT for the Sergeant-Major's crown, 
Nor D.C.M. nor V.C. 
Niii i-vcn :nr i;lurv or renow u. 

Or fame " 14 haul " or " ici," 
Not for these empty gauds I pray. 

Oli Lord of Hosts most mighty — 
In mercy hear my plaint this day, 
Look down and send me " Blighty." 

'Midst storm and stress I daily toil, 

My dreary fate lamenting, 
I sleep on straw or common soil, 

Beneath an Army tenting; 
Thou know 'st 'tis hard on one who's used 

To sleeping suit, or " nighty," 
Oh, let me he no more abusedj 

In mercy send me " Blighty." 

Thou know'sL my pain and anguish sore, 

How long in woe and sadness, 
I ve suffered, till but little moiv 

Would drive me into madness. 
Stretch forth Thine arm, make cease this war, 

So tiark and dynamite-y, 
Then in the shell' ring shade of peace 

I'll have no need of " Blighty." 

A. K. 



Our Canteen. 

OCR Canteen is a sort of " Universal 
Provider/' wrought under the auspices 
of the Colonel and managed by a salesman from 
each Company, under the guidance of a Lnnce- 
Corporal. 

The last mentioned, with the aid of a cycle, 
travels daily round the country procuring 
stores at the wholesale depots of the E.F.C. 
(Expeditionary Force Canteen), which are 
scattered at intervals miles behind the firing 
li.io. The stores are in the form of tinned fruit, 
chocolate, milk in tins, biscuits, cigarettes, and 
all soi-ts and kind of foods in tabloid form or in 
tins. 

We do such a trade as would make the most 
prosperous of our grocers at home turn green 
with envy, and it would be indiscreet to quote 
figures in these days of economy preaching. 

Ours are snch as would raise the wrath of Air. 
Asquith, or give Mr. Lloyd George a sleepless 
night, and we have as many empty fruit tins 
any evening as would fill a Glasgow tramcar. 

We believe in small profits, or to be more 
accurate, none at all. 

Any little surplus of cash that may accrue 
from discount on invoices goes for the extra 
messing of the men in the way of hot soups 
served as supper. The Canteen is not the 
least interesting department of the " Commer- 
cial Battalion," and, as in all branches of this 
temporary experience, it has much humour. 

But as Kipling says, " That's another storv," 
so must be told at some future date. 

Perhaps we could attribute a goodly portion 
of our success to the fact that we pay no rent 
or taxes. 

Our premises are any old, wrecked house, 
barn or stable, and we look upon any place 
with a rainproof roof as most suitable. 

We don't grouse much if an occasional shell 
from Frit/ lands on onr shop, so long as our 
goods are left undamaged. So far we have one 
branch, which isn't so bad, you will agree, 
considering we are only three weeks in existence 
as a business firm, but it is ' some ' branch. 

Stationed within too yards of the trenches, it 
is an ideal site for a shop (although in reality it 
is a modest little wooden hut), and in a splendid 
position for picking up the ready-money trade 
of the trench " Mess Orderlies." 

When Napoleon designated us as " A nation 
of shopkeepers," the truth was in him. 

While I write an unfriendly shell has wrecked 
our branch ! We shall get another. 

" Vedders." 



THE OUTPOST. 



175 



Trench Travelling. 




TT is quite evident that professors of dancing 
and deportment have entirely omitted from 
their curriculum anything which may be of 
assistance to members of the military profession 
in acquiring the art of traversing trenches. 
Having carefully weighed the matter up, wfi 
have come to the conclusion that exponents of 
the art of tight rope walking and those of roller 
skating are quite free from blame. 

Let us therefore br icily indicate a few of the 
difficulties which, beset the trench traveller. 
Firstly, let us take the case of a first class trem li, 
i.e., one which is laid with duck boards, over 
which the safest course to take is to do the 
goose step. This, however, owing to the 
treacherous greasiness of the aforesaid paving, 
may end in the turkey trot or some hitherto 
nameless terpischorean outrage. 

A second class trench is paved with duck 
boards which, however, have been submerged. 
Undoubtedly the best method of progress along 
such a trench is the Charlie Chaplin method, 
which enables the walker to discover the end of 
the duck board, gaps between duck boards, or 
holes, without mishap, and also to make his way 
round traverses with extreme skill. 

The trenches of the third class are those which 
contain water to tile depth of two or three feet, 
and are quite innocent of duck boards. In the 
absence of rafts the only way to proceed is to 
recall the joys of Gaurock when the heart was 
voting, and carry on. 

To get words to describe the other tvpes of 
trenches one has to descend to the realms of 
Tartarus. Half way through the muck the 
weary traveller surveys the parapet with 
longing eyes, but a wholesome respect for 



malicious individuals of the Him tribe, called 
snipers, kills the thought. Gentlemen have 
been known to emerge from this journey minus 
a gum hoot which has been rather large for the 
foot it encased. Others again have to receive 
the attention of a corps of the R.E. with their 
excavating tools, angle irons, sand-bags, and 
inexhaustible energy before the journey or 
voyage is safely accomplished. 

From these few remarks perhaps the calls- 
thenic experts will realise that, to cope with the 
new requirements, a vigorous policy along fresh 
lines is essential. The new curriculum must 
include lessons on acrobatics, the arts of 
contortion, walking on the hands, high stepping 
and long jumping. v ^ 




Drawn by 



' Resting OH tlic Supports; 



t'te. Thomson. 



.17(3 



THE OUTPOST. 



As Ithers See Us. 

Lochgelly, zjth January, 1916. 

Dear Mr. Editor, 

I'm glccl tac hear yer back safe frac 
the trendies am) arc haein' a bit o' a rest. 1 
hear ver imn intac the swing o' things, but yon 
aicrrt when yer X.C.O.'s came up toe get 
instructions frac ns wus the tare o' oor Eves. 
We led them a fair dance, and nearly int the 
fear <>' daith on some o' thent ; but they stuck 
it a' rioht— ay an' stuck in it toe. They came 
in wi' as mony bundles on their backs as it ihey 
wur goiti' tae stey in lire trenches fur the 
duration o' the war. Whit wi' twa pair 0' 
burls tied roun' their necks, twa <,r three 
shirts, hauf a dkzen pair <>' socks an' a dizzen 
o' thae swanky hankies, they had as mnckle 
1 l.i> s as vc wad find in ony hosiery shape in 
Kirkcaldy. Vin toffy sairgent, wi' eyegli se 
awfu' well spoken, in fac' just like ony office) 
says tae me, " 1 say, old man, where arc U ose 
ballv Germans?" " Guid sakes," says I. 
" dao ye think we keep them chained up in oor 
I'.iig-mil-; : 

The puir souls kept mairching up and doon 
thae trenches till I was fair vexed fur them. 
Yin o' them wis trying tae squeeze hissel 
through a uairra pairt o' the trenches and wis 
slippin' a' ower it. " Here," says I . " J >icht the 
glaur af'f von bit o* stick and use it as a prop." 
1 nearly had a fit when he tellt me it was his 
rifle ! 



Whatua mess ! I've seen us gettin three 
year for less, li wis gey funny tae see ye 
posting yer sentries. A gaird at near every 
traverse," Says I tae wur Sairgeant-Majof, 
" It'll no' be lang afore they'll be daeing the 
same as us. A man coining out noo and then 
Irae his dug-oot tae see that thae Aileman boys 
are no 1 coming ower tae pinch wur rum. an* 
scartm' thur harms (?) 011 wur barbed wire ! 
Yin o' yer officers wis a fair treat. I nearly 
tramped on his lingers as he was corning alaag 
the trench. Says J tae him, " Hae ye losl 
onything, sir?" " Sh ! Who goes?" 
lie, a' o' a trummie, " Only yin o 1 the Black 
Watch, sir." " Oh dear." says be, wiping the 
sweet aif his broo, "yon gave me a terrible 
fright. By the way, what is the meaning of 
these red! blue, yellow and green lights." 
" Whaur, sir?" says I. "Over there," says 
he. '" Ach," says I, " Them's no lichts, th< 
rats' ecu!" "Good gracious," says he, and 
he ran roun the traverse like a Lochgell) 
whuppet. 

li wis a caution to see >nii boys going aboc/t 
there wi' yer cap comforters, mitts and 

woollen gloves, and a blanket roun yersh len . 

1 tae the Sairgeant-Major," They divna 
ken wl ii they're wee] alt. They shud hae been 
with us a1 Festubert. Three months withoul a 
1 nr (.' breed, and us teeving at) berries, just 
gaithering them aff V. -." When yer 

hale Company came in we were in an awfu' fix, 
a hunner- aae enough dug-oots 




«> f=-;*£r\ 






J 1 




MUSKETKY TERMS -II. THE DOUBLE KUI-L. 



Pu. R. Birnll. 



THE OUTPOST. 



177 



fur a platoon. Ye see oor Company wis only 
fifty strong. Yin officer and twa X.C.O.'s. 
i Inly me and the Sairgeant-Major left oot o' the 
original Company. We had lost a J the it hers at 
Festubert. 

Fower titties over the parapet during the big 
chairge. Mini, yon wtir the days. You yins 
are in a salt bit o' the line the noo. Naething 
but whizz bangs, pip-squeaks, machine guns, 
aerial torpedoes, trench mortars; and a bomb 
noo and again jist to keep ye awake. 

May be ye'Il hae a mine exploding under you 
and a shoor o' shrapnel, but wait till yer up 
.ilxict I-YsiuU-rt. whanr we had the big chairge. 

Fower times ower the . I hae telt ye that 

afore, did t no? Ye were awfu prood o 1 
yoursels when ye thocht ye were gairding the 
jvale line wi' yer row o' sentries, and there ve 
win 1 handing the blooming (!) line for you with 
a listening post. 

I only met yin o* you that I kent, a man 
cawd Kab Smith. Says i tae him, " Ve're frae 
Fife." " Ay." says he. " Whit dae ye ca' 
versel," says I. " Kab Smith," says he. " i 
thought so," says I. " A'm weel acquaint with 
yer sister's guidman. Gie's yer harm. Whit 
pairt p" Fife dae ye come frae ? " " Frae 
Kirkcaldy," says he. " Gie's yer twae hauns, 
1 hae met Kirkcaldy men afore." 

Ye see, it's aye safer to keep a grup o' baith 
hauns when ye meet onyhod\ frae Kirkcaldy. 

But that's gaun awa' frae the subject. I met 
yon Sergeant with the cyeglesses. I think he 
must hae been a student or something genteel 
like, for 1 says tae him, " You chaps will hae a 
job when y o u get lousy." "Get what?" 
says he, wondering like. " Get bugs ! " says I, 
angry at his ignorance. " Oh, I see," says he, 
" and what do you men do? " " Ach," says t, 
" we just lift oor kilts and pick them aff wi' oor 
fingers." 

Mua, he wis fair shocked and turned quite 
seek lookin'. Yin o' the funniest sichts was 
when your men stairted firing ower the parapet. 
You should hae seen oor men diving intae thur 
dug-oots and shoving oot their feet fur a 
" blight v." I hear yin o' the Gordons was 
awfu' successful at the game. 

You win awfu Cashed aboot a wee taste o' 
glaur on yer claes, but you should hae seen us 
at Festnbert when we were up to oor een (?) in 
it, and had tae chairge wi' oor kilts ower oor 
heads. But takin' it a' ower you did no sae 
bad, and maybe (if ye are awfu' lucky) ye micht 
hae us up along wi' ye when ye do yer great 
advance, just to pit some back bane, as ye 
micht say, intae yer battalion. 

( Hiid luck to ye all. 

So long, 
Yin- o' Tin: Black Watch, 



Too Late. 

To those eligibles who have mack necessary the Military 
Service Hill, and who have been boomed by Oi rtafn sections 
of the Prss as Mity less than heroes. 

With apologies to the shade of Wordsworth. 

Uli was a soldier self-declared 

And of the kind not made but born. 
From infancy he always dared 

To hold the coward up to scorn ; 
Even as a child his chief delight 

Was breaking windows, pulling bells. 
Or playing clockwork late at night. 

And such like childish ' sells.' 

And lie grew up an ardent youth, 

A sort of modern Don J nan, 
With fearless disregard for truth 

And equal disrespect for man : 
For he developed even then 

A ' penchant ' for the ' flappers ' who 
Would stop and parley with him when 

They'd nothing else to do. 

Ami in his teens he Oatly fell 

Head over ears in love with one 
Whose charms were such as none could tell 

(A goddess underneath the sum. 
But she did not reciprocate 

As pretty sweetings ought to do. 
And unrequited love or hate 

Quite changed his point of view. 

So when he came to man's estate 

He posed as a misogynist. 
Despising Wary, Xan and Kate, 

He joined a club and played at uv.i 
A sort of hermit's life he led 

So far as woman was concerned. 
And she might well have thought him dead. 

Deep buried or interned . 

Pan Fate was working out a. plan 

By which our hero might redeem 
Au empty life, and be a man — 

None other than the Derby Scheme. 
He's now attested, in a group, 

And in the Army's tender care, 
A very promising recruit 

The newspapers declare. 

He is a soldier print-declared 

And of the kind not born but made, 
Long, long ago he might Slave dared 

Had ive but called a spade a Spade. 
Couscrii'ii'-.'ii driving in the nail 

To cleave the Kaiser's uncrowned head, 
Damme it is a sadder I ale 

Than all the mourned-for dead ! 

J- D. 11, 

pom &■* *&i 

CONTRASTS. 
Scene — Army Canteen. 
A (with a West-End touch) — " Can I have a 
piece of * Cike ' (cake) please i " 
B- — " Gi'es a bit o' bun." 



178 



THE OUTPOST. 



I 




■41 — itwf ' 




FRANCE. 



FEBRUARY, 1916. 



All work and no play makes J tick tt thill boy. 



A ND what applies to Jack applies with equal 
force to Tommy. He is kept" at it for 
days on end, doing strenuous fatigues hi the 
hours when he is not on sentry duty, and only 
snatching sleep when the exigencies of the 
situation will allow, for the safety of the line 
must always come before personal comfort. 
Such is our life. At first we might have been 
appalled at the conditions in which we were 
forced to " live and move and have our being." 
We did nut expect a bed of roses, but our 
wildest dreams of muddy trenches faded into 
insignificance beside the awful realities of that 
first experience- Nothing we had ever seen or 
heard of c mid prepare us for that terrible 
initiation period, when we encountered more 
difficulties aid hardships than we had ever 
"dreamt of in our philosophy." There is 
nothing tries body and spirit more than 
struggling along a trench waist deep in pluck- 
sapping mud in full marching order, and the 
young lecturer, who addressed the Ripon 
Battalion on bayonet fighting, spoke with more 
truth than perhaps he knew when he said, " 1 
promise you, one must be fit." But even during 
those early days {December, 1915), our innate 
good spirits could not be suppressed, and in 
spite of the trying experiences, the men one met 
in one's peregrinations were invariably cheerful 
and good -humoured. To this end we were 
greatly helped by the men of other Battalions 
whom we relieved. In this connection we 
would like to express our deep sense of gratitude 
to the Scots Territorials (Black Watch, Gordons, 
Rifles and Royal Seofs) whom we met, and whose 
cheery philosophy and fortitude Mere and 
remain the admiration of us all. They gave us 
a hearty welcome (the hicht <>' hospitality) and 
iili 11-, Lhi 11 glorious < xample. 

The conditions of trench life have been 
steadily improving since then, and now we live 
in comparative comfort. In addition to this 
change for the better we are settling down to 



the life. The conditions at first were inclined 
to take our breath away, and we couldn't find 
any time to devote to the social side of our life. 
But now that we have had time to adapt 
ourselves to the new- conditions, social activities 
are springing up everywhere. Of course we 
have never been without our happv evenings in 
billet or dug-out when we " sing a song or tell a 
story," but now ue arc getting right into the 
swing of things and are blossoming forth villi 
football matches and full-Hedged concerts. We 
have risen superior to our environment, for we 
are as irrepressible as ever. Early in the year 
there was a " smoker " in a disused billiard 
room which was received with an Olivet Twist- 
like demand for more. About the same time a 
football match, in which C Company team beat 
B Company team by 3 goals to nil, delighted the 
players and the onlookers — those who had 
■ ■■•aped inclusion in all of the many working 
parties required of us then. A few days ago 
C Company team beat a team from the Brigade 
I h< (quarters by 7 goals to nil, and on the same 
day thirty members of B Company took part in 
a rugger game which attracted a large and 
illustrious crowd of spectators, and provided 
them with much merriment. Since then there 
have been two Company Concerts and a 
Battalion Concert in "the big barn," all of 
which received the appreciation they so well 
1 1- served. There is no donbt about it, life out 
here is pretty much what we make it, and we, 
who always make the best of everything, never 
k-t the thought of war interfere with Our 
enjoyment. 

Every member of the British Expeditionary 
Force is a confirmed optimist, and his constant 
endeavour is to extract as much fun from the 
life as he possibly can. But what gets our 
backs up is the unaccountable behaviour of 
certain parts of the community at home. We 
do 7iot feel inclined to open a discussion here on 
Traded, "monism, self-seeking partisanism or 



r 



THE OUTPOST. 



ITU 




Drawn fa 



CRUCIFIX CORNER, SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE. 



Cor/il. J. Cnapn 



18(1 



THE OUTPOST. 



pessimism. But can our soi-disant labour men 
imagine wBat would happen if Tommy were to 
loiVtr himself sufficiently to strike as one man 
fur thesame rate of pay as is enjoved by workers 
at any other occupation which has the same 
perceti tage dea th-rate ? Have our axe-grind i ng 
politicians any idea of the consequences that 
would follow if Tommy were to think as much 
of his own interests and welfare as some 
politicians do ? Do onr confirmed pessimists 
ever give a thought to the appalling results an 
epidemic of pessimism would have in the B.E.F. ? 
But, ;is we have maintained. Tommy is a 
confirmed optimist. He has complete confi- 
dence in our ultimate success, but the self- 
interested unpatriotic behaviour of certain 
pc"H>k';i! home does nol escape his notice : 
" Tommy aim a btoomin' fool, 
You bet that Tommy sees ! " 
It is probably this very distinction between 
the disinterested Tommy and the selfish man 
at home that makes Tommy the ha ppy man he 



is. We have been trying lately to account for 
the eternal optimism and undisturbed happiness 
of the soldier in the field, and can come tu tin 
other conclusion. He knows he is not here in 
his own interrsts, for his own benefit in anv 
sense of the word, and, quite unconscious of its 
reason, he reaps the reward lor his sacrifice in 
an easy conscience and a feeling of hope for the 
future. Thai is the result of our analysis of the 
anomaly of the happy sufferer and the miserable 
egotist ; — -all unknown to him the man who 
makes the sacrifice rises to the highest possible 
height in human attainment. Of course the 
soldier never disturbs himself with such 
thoughts, he simply does his bit and thinks no 
more about it, but all the time he is being repaid 
by a benevolent Providence; his unselfish 
service brings its reward unnoticed, but its 
effect on the soldier is to make him the confirmed 
Optimist he is, while he remains sublimely 
nhlivious and inir .nscions. both n> I he s;-.iTtlic<' 

and to the reward. 







..... 




Drawn by 



til a weE-lcnown ' Watering;' Place oil New Year's May. 



«%. 



Frt. J. MK. Tk om son. 






THE OUTPOST. 



181 




Flmio h 



StrZt. A, 0\ Draws. 
SUNSET OVER AKKAN. 



&* *&t #*« 

I 

The "Faux Pas." 

A i'KUli StORV Of THE TRE.NCHES. 

'VflTDST the ilim twilight and rain. sodden air, 
ivJ - Twist the clack trench walls piled high 

overhead. 
Slow the " reliefs " marched, the star .shells' green 
Mart: 
Shewed the path, wet like some deep river bed. 

Down by the loop-hole, pressed close to the side, 
' Sniping," it seemed, at some venturesome foe. 

Crouched a dim figure, the loot outstreteh'd wide 
Tripped the ins t man ; made hi in lurch to and fro. 

" Damn you, you blighter. " the injured one cried, 
" Curse yen. you idiut, why can't you look out ? 
" Hush," saiil his mate, " see '. " the man stepped 
aside. 
Looked— then spoke trembling in [ear and in 
doubt. 

" God, lad ! why didn't you stop me before ? " 
Pale and with ashen lips quiv'ring, he said ; 

" Lord send me mercy, 'twill weigh on me sore. 
Curs in' and swearin' like that — at the Dead." 

A. K. 



To a Thrush in Flanders. 

YIfAK. MOCKING sprite, bird of Apollo's soul, 

Are you so blessed as one-at-arms believes ? 
Compassion uselessly compels the toll 

Of tears for minstrelsy that never grieves ; 
Yet happiness is best set ever high 

Beyond the falling in dullest moods. 
And you're a mellow pipe of such a kind 

That never flutes awry, 
But hymns the genius of the shattered woods, 

In full investiture of gayest mind. 

Sing as you will, still will I hear your song : 

My heart has music when it has i ts ease— 
A harp .Eolian whose notes belong 

More to the mountains than these Flanders leas. 
Soft alien winds may touch responsive chords, 

And ears of strangers like ils tut i>, c ait--, 
But broken melodies possess ils strings, 

And war em passioned words 
Rise at the touch, whose martial crash impairs 

The tongue of bards to tell sad happenings. 

'Tis happiness interprets happy tilings, 

But sadness always hears Niobe's tears 
Fall tiuklingly when Philomela sings, 

As though '(were Psyche mourning lonely years. 
O, that your vision were upon mine eyes, 

Haply tall palaces sublimed with gold, 
Where lovely maidens smile in indolence 

To bright and beamy skies, 
Where young Romance and Chivalry of old 

Drowse in an air blown faint with frankincense, 

Or see you mountain peaks, those dear, dear hills. 

The Arrau hills, the hills where Maidie strays, 
Where thy fair tribe the budding birch wood tills 

With vernal music and Spring roundelays ? 
See you the greening moors and radiant earth 

Pitl forth to heaven their sacrificial flowers, 
Assume divinity and procreate, 

And lill the forest bowers ; 
Or see the roseate- north with wondrous birth 

Suliuse the fields and Flora reinstate ? 

Are you the fay that mocked at Winter's feet 

In bleak Xo% - ember from the shot- torn bough, 
Come here again to sing the old songs sweet. 

Unchanged, to cheer me in the trenches now ? 
Why are you here, why are you not away 

To greet the Scottish blooms, or slaying here 
Tune songs so sad that all the men might sue 

A t your melodious woe, 
To know your grief, then, tendering their cheer, 

Slight set you home to her and love her too ! 

H. 



CPEL.LEK o( t he stones and weeds, 

^ Skilled in Nature's crofts and creeds, 

Tell me what is in the heart 

Of the smallest of the seeds ? 

God Almighty, and with Him 

Cherubim and Seraphim, 

Filling all Eternity, 

Adouai Elohim. 

G. K. C. 






182 



THE OUTPOST. 




Drawn Ay 



FROM A TItENCH SKETCH BOOK. 



Fit. W. Stewart. 



THE OUTPOST. 



is:s 



Burns' Nickt Concert 

HELD 

'SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE," 

2.3lh January, njiG. 



Lieutenanl-Colonel D. S. Morton', V,D,, 
Presiding. 



At the Piano — Private A. Wooley. 

Sergeant A. V. Robertson. 
I'rivateG. Forrest. 



Piano, ... ... ... ... Popular Airs. 

Private A. Wooley. 
Song, ... ... ... ..." Ac Fond Kiss." 

Piper C. Galloway. 
Song, ... ... ... ..." Duncan Gray." 

Coqioral Atiercrombie. 

Reading, " Excelsior." 

Private A. D. H, Simpson. 

Song, ... " My Love is like a Red, Red Rose." 

Corporal R. Erskine, 
Song, ... ... " She is the Lass for Me." 

Corporal G. Robertson. 
Song, ... ... " The Bedouin Love Song." 

L. -Corporal G. K. Patersort, 
Song, ... ... " The Nut-Brown Maid." 

Private Angus MT-ean. 

Song, "My Old Shako." 

Private R. Herbert. 
Reading, ... ... ... ... Humorous. 

Sergeant A. M. Cohen. 

Song, " Young Tom of Devon." 

Private J . Glen. 

Song, " Veteran's Song." 

Private W. A. Grandison. 

Humorous. 
Private T. M, M'N'air, 

" Thora." 

L.-Corporal H, L. MCallum. 

Duet, ... " Watchman, what of the Night? " 
Piper Galloway and Private Grandison. 



Song, 
Song, 



It was absolutely inevitable, or nearly so. 
Not that it might not have happened, but it 
ought to have happened, everybody thought it 
ought to have happened, and happen it did. 
And on -what better night I It was no mere 
accident that synchronised the eve of our 
concert with the anniversary of Robert Burns. 
True, there was no whisky (not even ruin), no 
haggis (not even soup), but everyone could 
parlake ad libitum of the quintessence of the 
Immortal Memory itself. By an inscrutable 
decree it had been ordained that we should 
celebrate the anniversary of our national poet 
in a quiet little village behind the firing line. 
Inscrutable, advisedly, for had we not been 
compelled to xvish each other a Merry Xmas and 



a fin id New Year in trenches that might well 
have banished joy and defeated time. Tint so it 
was. On the night of the 25th January we 
found ourselves immensely at ease and in the 
best of spirits, immune from an attack in front, 
and secure, for a time at least, from that 
ubiquitous alarm associated with empty water- 
bottles and uneatable emergency rations. 

Undoubtedly there was an atmosphere. 
Burns in a Bam. Equally true, there was 
another atmospheres — a brazier in the barn. 
The smoke rose, the fumes penetrated, the air 
thickened. One spoke in inarticulate whispers, 
with a catch in the voice, in guttural monotone. 
Some choked, ostensibly, a few spat, and the 
N.CO.'s fingered their gas-helmets nervously. 
Breathless we all awaited that critical moment, 
expressed algebraically by the point in which 
the X assymptot touches the Y axis, when 
human life would succumb, a natural victim to 
unnatural suffocation, — -when a voice called out 
peremptorily, and with a courage surpassing its 

clarity, " Put the bl thing out." The 

brazier Mas summarily ejected, and shortly 
afterwards the Colonel, followed by the Curee 
who had kindly and gratuitously given us his 
piano, and a number of the Official Staff (we 
now apologise for the unfortunate ungram- 
mattcal juxtaposition) made their entrance. 
At the same moment, witness the rise of the 
curtain. 

A few popular airs on the piano, chorused by 
the men in khaki, were rendered even more 
popular bv an item offered by a select coterie, 
without warning or accompaniment. Sung to 
the tune of Alexander's Rag-time Band (or was 
it Dixie Land ?), we repeat it for the benefit of 
our dear maiden-aunts at home who know of no 
other Alexander than the renowned Conqueror, 
who wot of no other army than Kitchener's 
Boys, and who are altogether ignorant of dixies. 

" You ought to join. 

You ought to join, 
You ouglit to join Fred Karno's Army, 
Seven hob a week and (ommohmJ) all to eat, 
Hobnailed boots and blistered feet. 

Come on and join, 

Come on and join. 
Come on and join Fred Karno's Army. 
Forming fours and marking time- 
Left, right, left, right, all the blessed time, 

Come on and join, 

Come on and join, 
Come on and join Fred Karno's mob ! " 

As you can well imagine, this little innovation, 
coming as it did with an air of novelty, put us 
all distinctly at our ease, and even the Curee 
ceased to look fastidious. So it was to a 
uniformed audience wreathed in uniform smiles 
that gallant Piper Galloway stepped on the 
platform over a soap box, and took advantage 



184 



THE OUTPOST. 




of our belter natures by 
repeating in song the in- 
numerable miseries and disap- 
pointments of " Ae Fond 
Kiss." Kissing is quite out 
! of a soldier's line and the 
knowing piper should have 
known better. But we con- 
doned the fault and i.-njm rd 
the song. Any gloomy des- 
pondency that might have set 
in as a result of philoso- 
phising on the " might have 
been " was quickly dispersed by the appearance 
on the platform' of Corporal Abererombie, 
who lilted the wooing of " Duncay Gray " 
in irreproachable style, were it not for a 
too assiduous application to a scrap of 
paper. Tfow useful a scrap of paper is in 
■ these here parts ' we all recognise, but we 
cannot but think that the Corporal might have 
done well to commit his lines to memory. A 
universal feeling of relief was evident when 
Private A. D. H. Simpson stood before us and 
announced his " Excelsior " without portfolio 
and with variations. Indisputably, he was 
good. 

Excelsior I 

(with variations), 

TPHE shades of night were 
■*■ falling fast, 
As through an Alpine village 

passed 
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow 

and ice, 
A banner with the strange 

device — 

Excelsior ! 

17TH H.L.I. 
By Jove, the night was some- 
what black 

As we moved out 10 wards 1 lie at lack ; 
Where we were goin^, no one could It'll 
All we could say was, " Well ' well !! well !!! 
It's a nuisance ! 

Black Watch. 
By Goad ! Hac ye min* o' Festnbert ? 
Yon was a Manner, that's a cert ; 
For there was nae ammuneelion, 
And the men went tae perfection — 
Napoo ! 

The Hun. 
Ach ! mein f round dis var ve lose, 
Gif mi rein auder trink of booze, 
Und den across de line I pop, 
Und, mit ein smile, gif meinself oop — 
" Kamarad 1 " 

A. I). H. S. 




As the reporters say, his performance was 
marked by histrionic ability and dramatic 
power. We think he will go far; some day 
perhaps lie will go even farther than the firing 
trench. He received an encore, and was 
audacious enough to hold the mirror up to 
Tommy Atkins himself. We know w-e are ' the 
great unwashed,' and we can only appreciate a 
looking-glass at the point of a bayonet. Besides 
I he theme is hackneyed. With Corporal 
hrskine we returned to our National "Bard, and 
the familiar smile of the evergreen " Red, Red 
Rose." We have heard him do much better, 
and even making all due allowance for acoustics, 
piano, atmosphere and general irritability, he 
fell far short of our expectations. Everyone 
knew he could sing, and sing he can, and we 
cannot account for a wide-spread feeling of 
disappointment, unless it be that the requisite 
inspiration to be derived from "loves" and 
" roses red " could not be raised on nothing. 
There is no yeast for the loaf of love in the 
empty cupboards of a hard and horny people, 
Be thai as it may, there is not the least doubt 
about the striking success of Corporal Robertson* 
He was dam tunny. We congratulate him on 
his appearance. Indeed, it is not at all im- 
probable that she is the lass for him. Encored 
he was to the echo, and in his next contribution 
he appeared without disguise. We think no 
end of his reading of " Tarn o' Shanter," 



involving as it did, a piece of rare and retentive 
memorv work, combined with a. keen and 
realistic interpretation of the hair-raising 
adventure ol the intrepid Tarn. There was 
only one slight aberration, but we were glad of 
it. for it gave us the opportunity of realising 
with pride how well our own Colonel knows bis 
Burns. Tn havr ivrncd Tarn o' Shanter on 
anive service is to have done no mean jus i 1 
to the shadeof Burns, and it was with a sense of 



THE OUTPOST. 



385 



satisfaction that we prepared to hear L.-Cpl. 
( t. K, Paterson, who favoured us with " The 
Bedouin Love Song." He was at his excellent 
best. His appeal could not have been more 
impassioned nor his vows more sincere had he 
been supplicating in reality the lady of his 
thoughts. As it was, the barn seemed invested 
with a new interest and a new life, and the 
rat U-rs. hitherto but a sullen mockery, now 
growing warmly responsive, took up the tale of 
romance, echoing over and over the rolling 
cadence : 

" Till i he sun grows cold." 

Fortunately such a distressing violation of 
natural law was indefinitely postponed, and 
we had the further pleasure of enjoying 
" Mrlisande " under normal conditions. " The 
song of the sorrow of Melisaude is a weary song 
and a dreary song." rather slow at any rate for 
a full-blooded audience in khaki, but while wc 
deplored this selection, we were delighted with 
his singing. Any mist that may have gathered 
to the eyes was immediately dispersed by Angus 
Ml ,ean. The man from Skye fairly took us by 
storm with his ardent and vigorous wooing of 
" The Nut Brown Maid," in his mother tongue — 
an extremely forcible language. We recom- 
mend it for use on the passive resister and the 
conscientious objector. We felt that if airy o'i 
us had so much as looked at her, he would have 
annihilated us OB the spot. All thai was left 
for us to do was to applaud him heartily for his 
staunch guardianship of the fair one. He 
followed up the success gained in the Gaeli' 
song by stirring our hearts with his account of 
the exploits and daring of the " Cameron Men." 
lie persuaded us to hear the pibroch and scent 
the heather with him, and roused our Highland 
blood to fighting pitch. A lusty singer and a 
lusty tighter is Angus— a fine maji to be going 
01 ' ' the parapet with. 

I'rivale K, Herbert must be a re-incarnation. 
I ie is much too young to have wont an old 
Shako ten years ago, much less twenty, tltirty, 
forty, fifty. However, he fully convinced us 
that he had had previous experiences in love 
and war (we wonder if he will get proficiency 
pay for it), and allowed u> to sing the chorus 
with him, a privilege which we gladh accepted. 

We enjoyed it --. i h that we began to believe 

that we, too, had lived im he good old days when 
it was the fashion to kiss pretty girls promis- 
cuously, and sally forth to war. But wc don't, 
and if we were ever inclined to think so, the I cue 
facts of the ease were brought forcibly to our 
notice l>v Sergeant Cohen, "there is nothing we 
like better than having people poke fun at us ; 
and He just stood ii]i. pretending he was a 
Black Watch boy, and tickled us on alt our weak 
spots. The lal ter were assembled before us 
" On Parade," and were duly examined, 



£% 




inspected, reported anil dis- 
missed. We responded with 
roars of laughter at each sally. 
He also rallied the H ighlanders 
on their penchant for dragging 
in Festabert, their Waterloo, 
into all their conversations, 
and, as we had all heard so 
much of it, the very word 
itself was sufficient to provoke 
a hearty laugh. With our 
risible faculties put on edge, 
we appreciated to the full the 
spirited rendering of "Young 
Tom oLDevnn," by Private Glen. A capital 
song and well sung. Immediately following 
came the " Veteran's Song," but why on earth 
Private Grandison preferred to hear his own 
accompaniment (he must have heard it many 
times) rather than let us hear his song, we 
cannot understand. He has nothing to be 
ashamed of, far less to hide, and besides, the 
piano was the Curve's. A humorist from top 
to toe is Private M'Nair. We liked his face. 
His little parody, sting to the tune " There is a 
Happy Land," evoked our mirth and 
was highly appreciated. With commendable 
patriotism he chose as his encore, " Bonnie Wee 
Thing." hut we urn dislr --.cd to feel that all 
the lime there was a struggle for predominance 
between the humorous and sentimental elements 
in his composition. 

Seldom have we heard " Xhora " so well sung 
as it was by L.-Cpl. M'Calhtm, but we know he 
can sing other things, and in an age and in a 
circle in which Thora has been so often murdered 
we consider it a crime for a good vocalist {who 
i an ting other things) to resurrect the poor girl 
and importune her dried bones to " Come and 
Speak to him." By the way, we still hope to 
hear that encore— next Company Concert please. 
At this stage Charlie Galloway must have 
thought it time to go home, for he interrupted 
Willie Grandison repeatedly in what appeared 
to be a pianoforte solo, to ask, " I'm Watchman, 
What of the Might ? " Seriously, however, it 
was a talcing bit of work and heartily enjoyed, 
and so was brought to an end the programme 
of one of the most pleasant and memorable 
concerts that have been organised and arranged 
within the Battalion. The proceedings termin- 
ated with the usual votes of thanks, tin- singing 
of the "Marseillaise" and "Cod Save the 
Ling." 

A' ye whs like the crambo-clink, 
The best o' intellectual salads, 
Ye micht dae mucklu waur, wc think, 
Chan gang and buy Battalion Hnllads. 



1W1 



THE OUTPOST. 



No Man's Land. 

■pVHN in the days of our training — days that 
now seem to be of the distant past— did 
the fascination of " No Man's Land " grip us. 
In imagination we pictured it ; in imagination 
we stood on the parapet, gazing through our 
wire entanglements across the intervening 
space, across to that long hue where, like our- 
selves; the Hun " keeps watch and ward." We 
longed for the day when we should sec it in 
reality. 

And the day has come ! 

Never shall we forget our impressions as, 
very cautiously, we peered over the parapet 
and surveyed the German lines for the first 
time. Everything there seemed preter- 

naturally still. There was no sign of life, 
nothing to suggest the existence of an enemy. 
And yet, as one looked at the long, irregular 
line opposite, its grey outline rendered more 
sombre by the cold mist of a winter dawn, one 
felt chilled by the awful stillness. 

But it is in the watches of the night that 
" No Man's Land " enthralls us. The dariness> 
like a mantle, seems to cover a world of mystery. 



[With head and shoulders above the parapet 
we gaze into the Stygian gloom. All our senses 
are alert. We hear the slightest sound ; but 
hearing, we see not, and our imagination gets 
lull rein. 

The strain begins to tell on our eyes ; the} 
are becoming dimmed ; the stakes of our wire 
entanglements, dimly discernible in front of us, 
take human shape, We are sure we see them 
move; they seem to incline one towards the 
other, and in fancy we hear their whispers. 

Suddenly a flare light goes up in front of us, 
illuminating everything with a cold radiance, 
For a moment we are dazzled. As the flare 
reaches its zenith, and then, with a graceful 
curve, sweeps downwards we straighten our- 
selves and peer forward. We are all eyes. 

A machine gun begins to spit, and as it sweeps 
our parapet with its deadly phut- phut, we duck 
our heads. But we are satisfied, for we have 
assured ourselves about those stakes. 

Tin- flare reaches earth : for a moment longer 
it burns brightly, and then goes out, once more 
plunging " No Man's hand " into darkness, the 
darkness that begets a weird mystery. 




Drawn by 



Sa ii' 1 y . " A ' vc a si i re throa t again, Sir." 

Doctor, — "See here ! Ho you sleep with your mouth open : 

Siin-ly. — " Don't know. Sir"; A'll liavu a look to-uijjht." 



Pit, R. Limit. 



THE OUTPOST. 



187 



In a few short hours we shall have some of 
thai mystery unfolded to us. Wc feel we stand 
on the threshold of discovery, for to-night we 
go over the parapet " on patrol." The minutes 
seem to linger. Anxiously we watch the clouds ; 
will they blow over and leave everything 
illuminated by the moon which has yef a few 
hours to go ? 

A i last the moment arrives. Cautiously we 
move along the sap and stealthily we thread our 
way through the maze of our barbed wire. How 
big and awkward our feet seem 1 A hundred 
1 1 iiM.en obstacles impede them. We s tumble on, 
the fear gripping our hearts that we are making 
enough noise [<j u-aken the very dead. 

Ultimately we are clear, and we sigh con- 
tentedly. We again get our instruct tons 
whispered to us, each takes up his allotted 
position, and with rifles and bayonets ready, 
with eyes that are straining lo pierce the gloom. 
our little party moves oft into the darkness of 
" No Man's Land." 

We have a sense of relief to find ourselves 
walking on grass, in the open. After the deep, 
narrow trenches it is like a pleasant promenade. 

In the death-like stillness the crackling of the 
dry stubble beneath our feet sounds alarmingly 

li.Mil. 

Suddenly a flare goes up. We throw our- 
selves flat on our faces. Eagerly we take 
advantage of the light to look around. 

( luce again all is in darkness, and rising we 
move forward. A black object to our right 
attracts attention, (hie of us advances towards 
it. We watch him bend over it. Soon he 
returns and whispers to us. We are satisfied 
and we do not linger, for our business is with 
the living, not with the dead. Only too welt 
have we learned the significance of those dark 
speck's, for we encounter others, past winch we 
hasten. 

Now and then we see a flash, and as a bullet 
sings somewhere overhead we involuntarily 
bend lower. 

We have reached a roadway. For a space 
our way takes us along it, and as we walk we 
think of those barriers that shut it out from the 
world of men, except to such as we who, under 
cover of the darkness, steal along it like thieves 
in the night. How pathetic it looks, this road 
in " No Man's Land." leading from nowhere to 



nowhere, uncared for and untended, with the 
grass fast growing over it and covering its 
stones. 

A warning " Hist " causes us to throw 
ourselves down. For a time we lie flat, scarcely 
daring to breathe. Our eves have become 
accustomed to the gloom. In front of its we 
see four or five specks. They are moving 
towards us. Cautiously we bring our rifles 
closer to us, our fingers on the safety catch. 
We find ourselves counting the odds for or 
against us. 

" Haiti " 

Clear in the night air goes forth the tensely 
whispered command. The specks cease to 
move. We see them throw themselves down 
and for a time we lie looking at each other. 
After what seems an age of waiting, one from 
each party rises and advances. The silence is 
most impressive. We watch them meet. We 
can hear their whispers. With a sigh of relief, 
for the tension has been great, we rise and 
advance. It is a friendlv patrol. Eagerlv we 
cluster round , peering into each others faces and 
whispering. It seems strange, this meeting 
between the lines. 

But time presses and we move off with a 
whispered " Cheer-O," that salutation of the 
Tommy which means so much. 

We have reached the limit of our patrol. 
Out object is accomplished, and quickly we 
retrace our steps. The sense of danger has 
become deadened. We are walking upright. 
In a short time we feel a gentle slppe beneath 
our feet, and we know our own trenches are not 
far off. 

Suddenly a machine gun opens fire. In the 
twinkling of an eye we are flat on our stomachs. 
But it has not got our range and the bullets fly 
harmlessly overhead. Soon the angry blast is 
over, and once more we rise and move on. 

( lur wire entanglements loom up before us. 
In single file we carefully move through them, 
and as we do so, a voice challenges us from 
ahead and we halt. 

In a few seconds the necessary password has 
been given. The order is whispered to advance. 
We reach the parapet. With a sigh of satis- 
faction we crawl over, and once again are in the 
comparative security of our trenches. 

Our great adventure is over. W. S. C. 




Drawn h 



Cottages on tb* Ttfton Gall Course. 



Sent. J. Dodds. 



ISS 



THE OUTPOST. 




Corporal William I Idi'sths, 
)> Company. 

Not only in the section oyer which be held 
command, but also throughout 1he entire 
Battalion. a deep sense of sorrow and of loss 
was felt, when, on the morning of 3rd Jannan . 
it became known that Corporal William 




Houston, D Company, had fallen in thetrencb.es, 
killed instantaneously by a bursting shell. 
Dying as he lived, in military harness, even at 
1)u- momenf oi death he was making one of his 
periodic visits to the bomb-store, when he was 
struck down never to rise again. 

Corporal William Houston — or ' Willie ' as 
he was known affectionately to everyone- — was 
not only a true friend of many of lis, and a 
staunch comrade-in-arms, but a soldier of 
sterling quality. This had been early recog- 
nised, and, having been promoted to the rank 
of Corporal while still in training, his abilities 
were even more in evidence when the Battalion 
moved overseas, and his services as Bombing 
Corporal were well-nigh indispensable. 

He was among the first to join the Battalion 
thai came to know him so well, and he is the 
first of us to lay down his life for the common 
cause of King and Country. Throughout his 
long connection with the Battalion he main- 
tained his place at the head, and in the heart: 
of his section, niany of whom hailed from his 
own native place, Kilbirnie. They could speak 
of him always as a soldier and a gentleman. 
He had many interests and activities in and 
outside the Battalion, not least of which was his 
line appreciation and encouragement of things 
musical and literary. An ardent supporter of 
this Magazine, he himself contributed an 
interesting article in a recen.1 issue, and was 
always kindly solicitous of its welfare and 
improvement. 

On behalf of his many friends in the Battalion 
we extend our heart-felt sympathy to his home 
iriiids and relations, and particularly to his 
father, mother, sisters and brothers, who are 
left to mourn their loss. 



THE OUTPOST, 



18!) 



Private W. Atkinson. 
No. 15,-17;. roth Platoon, C Company. 

It is with tin- deepesl regret that we announce 
the death of Private William Atkinson, who was 

lulled by a shell 011 the forenoon of Sunday, lOth 
January. 1916, 

With an appalling, yet merciful suddenness, 
he was called from our midst, leaving us plunged 
111 gloom. To us, his comrades, the sense of loss 
is very great. 

In the far-off days at Gailes, when vre met for 
the first tune, we early recognised his sterling 
qualities, qualities which, during all the days of 
our long training, became more e\ ideut and 
endeared him to us. 

Nor did the trials and discomforts of Active 
Service find him wanting. At all times was he 
C I leery. To a never-failing opti 1 nisra in the face 
of all difficulties was added a devotion to duty 
which inspired us, We felt we could always 
count on him as our " pal," 

To his sorrowing parents and family and to 
his fiancee we extend our heartfelt sympathy. 
May their sense of a cruel bereavement bo tem- 
pered by the knowledge that he died nobly in 
the noblest of all causes. 



Private Andrew Roxland Adam, 
No. 15,225, 

Although we cannot but expect that the 
sadness which war inevitably brings in its train 




must be evident more and more amongst us, 
still, when a comrade-in-arms is killed in action 
and missed from our number, we feel it acutely. 

It is with feelings of great sorrow that we tell 
of the death of Private Andrew Holland Adam. 
He was lulled instantaneously by a shell, fired 
w Idle he was doing his duty ;ls one of the number 
of a working party : doing work that is of great 
importance, and which carries with it the same 
proportion of danger as that of the garrison. 

Private Adam was a member of the Battalion 
from the first, and his Paisley comrades will not 
forget that it was he who linked up into a party 
nl iriends the fellows from Paisley who had 
joined the 17th H.L.I. By a letter in the local 
newspaper he called us alt together before we 
embarked upon our primary period of training 
in that small hall in Coplaw Street, off Victoria 
Road. That thoughtfuiness on his part has had 
splendid results, for the Paisley boys have 
always been together since — in fact No. 15 
Platoon of the Battalion, which from the first 
numbered among its men Private Adam, has 
always been the " Paisley " Platoon, The 
Corporal of his Section in that Platoon had 
always a high ox-iimon of his ability as a soldier 
and his value as a friend. Such forethought, as 
finding a means whereby our friendship would 
be possible, is truly indicative of Private Adam's 
life amongst us. He was always straight- 
forward and honest, a man who was always sure 
of himself, and a thoroughly good soldier — 
thoughtful and fair-minded, for which he was 
loved and admired. His officers mourn the loss 
ol a capable man, who, but for his untimely end, 
would have received recognition, and his 
comrades-in-arms mourn the loss of a friend and 
a good fellow. 

No matter what tlus life may have in store 
for the 17th H.L.I., we will never cease to think 
with regret of the men who were first called 
upon to make the supreme sacrifice for then- 
King and Country. 

Andy Adam was only .25 years of age. He 
was educated in Camphill School and the John 
Neilston Institution, Paisley. He was a 
member of the Craft, belonging to Lodge 370, 
County Kilwinning. la Paisley he was very 
well-known and respected, and that town has 
lost a promising young man. The toll of war is 
paid without discrimination, and it is good 
indeed to know that our comrade gave his life 
in the performance of his duty : doing his bit 
for his native land in her time of trial. Such 
men wUl never be forgotten. When all tins 
trouble and strife is over, and we return again to 
our homes and our countrymen give us welcome, 
their thoughts and our thoughts will turn with 
sorrow, and yet with pride, to those we have 
left behind. 



J '.Ml 



THE OUTPOST. 







P hale *jr 



"CA' THE EWES TO THE KNQWE5.' 



Sent. A. G. Deans, 



On Receiving Her Photograph. 

"Y'OUR photo. 'a adorning a corner 

Of a dug-out that's passably dry, 
Where I sit like ]>oor little Jack Horner, 

But ii i i mi* his big Christinas pie. 

The dag- out is not very roomy, 
You could take it all in at a glance, 

And I used to consider it gloomy, 
But now it's the brightest in France. 

I'll bet the photographer chappie. 

When he told yon to smile and look gay. 

Never thought how confoundedly happy 
He was making the lad far away. 

How I bless him ! He never did better; 

And the transport that brought it to Gaul, 
And the Corporal who gave me the letter ; 

But you, dear, the most o£ them all. 

And I'm not alraid to confess it. 
Quite often, of course on the sly, 

To my lips I most lovingly press i i, 
When no other fellow is by. 

This war game is truly appalling, 

But I'll come back to claim my reward. 

Good night, dear, the Sergeant is calling — 
It's my turn to go and do guard. 

Viking. 



The Sirens' Song. 



'T'HI'" petrel and the screaming gull 
A The storm-burst fly belore, 
And ever in Lhe tempest's lull 
Our song is borne to shore. 

But it the tempest should abate, 

And men gaze in the tide, 
There, deep at play, with piece of eight 

And bright doubloon we're spied. 

Our forms are fair, our lips are red, 

Our charms by poets told, 
In us are bloom and canker wed, 

Ouriisliy blood is cold. 

No more we sing beneath the keel, 

Or chunber o'er the stern. 
Yet men no less our power feel, 

Sv less their thraldom learn. 

So surely as they Linger here 

They feel our baleful powers, 
So surely trust to legend sere 

So surely are they ours ! 
• * 
They hear our song — no more they'll go, 

We have them now to hold — ■ 
Show, show them as they gaze below 

A handful more oi gold 1 



V. C. 



THE OUTPOST. 



Ml 



19th H.LJ. Notes. 

Q1XCE onr last Notes went, to press we have 
quite a number of little interesting events 
to record, but we are in the middle of a " move " 
and so are exceedingly busy. The result is that 
we must be as brief as possible. 

The arrival of the details from Cod ford 
brought ns back manv okl friends. To hear 
S.-M. M'CIuskcy's and' C.Q -M.-Sgts. Williams 
atid Ferris ' stentorian tones sends a thrill through 
all the older boys. Thoughts fly subconsciously 
back to Gailes, and memories of the early 
" spade work " are conjured up— and how we 
were licked into shape in the regular old Red 
Army style. S.-M. Ganw, C.Q.-M.-S. Copland 
and CQi-M.-S. Ferguson are here too— each 
helping to bring the 19th " up in the faith." 
and at the same time keeping the hut cheery o' 
nights with tales of days that were. For sheer 
good story-telling give us the ' old soldier.' 
Sergt, Mark Druminond is a conspicuous 
member of the 19th H.L.I. now, and we learn 
more history in the course of an afternoon's 
ramble with him, than we learned throughout 
years of school training. On the rifle, of course, 
he is the recognised authority. His mathe- 
matical precision is positively uncanny, and we 
arc still wondering how it's done. 

'lite New Year leave has brought us back 
ready to make a fresh start, smiling — yet 
regretting — that it is all over once more. 
Musketry takes up most of our time these daj 
and only the recruits are doing the familiar S. I), 
under the aforementioned capable instructors, 
who thoroughly understand the temperament 
of the New Armies. Occasionally we have 
lecture? — and our last one, on " Gases and the 
Use of the Smoke Helmet," was a highly 
interesting one, which was great lv appreciated 
by all. 

The preparation of the Draft kept the camp 
stirring fur ipiite a time, and the Quartermaster 
had little spare time, we imagine. The l»i\-> 
got a great send oft, and the farewells were 
prolonged and hearty. One youth was very 
reassuring towards his instructors, and his 
ardent avowal that " on no account would he 
forget to take the first pull " brought a snijle to 
Staff-Sergt. Barnard's face, while another 
Fight in;,' Mac. announced that he was prepared 
Id fight the Germans without his puttees on! 
On the whole the boys were happy, and the 
thought thai they were soon to join their many 
friends in the " Shiny 17th " gladdened their 
hearts. Lieut. Drysdale, acted as Conducting 
officer, from P. Company, and lie was keen as 
mustard on the job, and eager to get out. At 
12 midnight the complete Draft left, and if good 
wishes go fin* anything the Huns shouldn't 
'stand an earthlv.' 



Our worthy Colonel has just returned from 
a visit "out yonder " and no doubt he could a 
tale unfold. Unfortunately — well, you know 
the Press Bureau. We are all very glad to see 
him safely relumed, and regret very much to 
hear of the unfortunate wounding of Captain 
Woodhead, our esteemed Brigade Musketry 
Officer. We wish him a speedy and complete 
recovery. 

We are, as I have said, busy packing, for 
within the next 48 hours we shall be " moving " 
to the North Camp. Should the move get us 
clear of this mud we will be most grateful and 
will know few regrets. The Derby men have 
not arrived yet, but are expected shortly, and 
during the lull in our activities the number of 
men to be heard whistling Mendelssohn's 
Wedding March is positively alarming ! 

Sergt. Brackenridge has returned from an 
interesting course of K an ge Finding, atStrensall, 
and has prospects of going Offto Aldcrshot soon, 
for Physical Training and Bayonet Fighting. 
l.ance-Sergt. Deans has gone to Chelsea, and 
Corporal Hamilton and Lance-Corpl. Melrose 
are at York— all on general- courses — while 
Corporal Fulton is going through the mill at 
the Strensall School of Musketry. 

Commission stock seems to be brightening up 
a little again, and there is increased activity on 
the market, Names recently appearing in the 
Gazette with 19th H.LJ. associations are :— 
Privates R. W. Shearer, W. Orr, A. J. M'liowan 
and E. N. Ross. 

The formation of a Battalion Sports Com- 
mittee has given a decided fillip to athletics in 
genera], and a number of interesting games have 
already been arranged for. The loss of our 
Wednesday afternoons fur sports is badly felt, 
however, and we ardently long for the old 
Gailes conditions. 

As of yore, the men continue to score over the 
Officers at " soccer," but the Officers are 
showing up well too, and after a highly interest- 
ing and keenly contested game, in which they 
met the Officers of the 3 /yth A. and S. H., they 
finished winners by 2 goals to nil. 

A rugby match took place some little time 
ago, between the Ripon Grammar School team 
and a fifteen composed of Officers, N.C.O.'s 
and men of the 19th, As the school team was 
strengthened by the inclusion of half-a-dozen 
stalwarts from a local English regiment, the game- 
was a strenuous and exciting one. The result a I 
this local Derby was a win for ns by 20 points 
to 5 — riot a few of the points being due to the 
efforts of Lieut. Dobson and lie. Adamson. 

In conclusion we entend a very cordial 
welcome to Sergt. Duff us who returns to us 
after a rather lengthy indisposition, and 
undoubtedly his return will have a marked 
effect on the signalling results. 



102 



THE OUTPOST. 



5u&-EBIT6RlKEf^ 




With the publication of the present number 

The Outpost is exactly a year old. 

Our Just twelve months ago, while in 

Birthday, training at Troon, it made its 
appearance among us, quietly and 
without noise. No one knew exactly who was 
responsible, no one could suspect the name 
behind the print, none could tell the personality 
between the lines, but our Regimental Sergeant- 
Major was known to have a hand in it. He had 
and he still has. Since the date of the Maga- 
zine's inception many things have come and 
gone and much has changed. Not least 
affected by the alterations of time has been the 
Magazine Staff itself. Old and staunch 
contributors have departed from us to take up 
commissions, to serve as munition workers, and 
to fight in other ways for King and Country. 
We remember that help with gratitude and 
pride, and as they send to tis their best wishes 
and birthday greetings for The Outpost, we wish, 
them all the soldier's wish, " Best of good 
luck." 



We shall not look in vain for their successors. 
There are many in the Battalion 
Another capable of filling their shoes, able 
Appeal. to wield the pen as mightily as the 
sword. We would ask them once 
more to step forward and play the game. Our 
last appeal was not without result, but we feel 
that many are still hanging back with no 
apparent reason save a temperamental 
backwardness and an innate modesty. We 
want llu-iu 10 help us in the work of the 
Magazine, More particularly — and we are 
looking to the future — we want them to ' carry 
on,' to assist us as deputies, So that, should the 
occasion aris:e, Number 2 can fill the place of 
Number 1. The work may be hard and 
difficult — we can testify it is not easy — but it- 
is not without interest and enjoyment, and it 
will have more than its own reward. 
***** 

Well, we wish The Outpost many returns? 
It is a " point naive." li we 

A Double don't, we are unkind. If we do, . 

Entendre, we are literally hoping for the 
indefinite duration of the war. 
We feel sure that the men of the Battalion at 
least will take the latter soldier-like risk ! At 
any rate, w e may all hope that it will have many 
happy returns, and that that happiness which 
spells victory and peace will be imprinted on its 
pages before another year. 

The Outpost and Battalion ftathtds may be had in 
Glasgow from John Memies & Co., Ltd., <jb West 
Nile Street; John Sniilh & Son ; OavLI Kobertson 
it Co.; the Printer; and Hallway Station Book, 
stalls. 





/■Ao/o h 



DUNOON. 



Sergt. A. G. Deans. .- ^lli 



THE OUTPOST. 



Q. YOUNG & SON, 

Military Contractors 

. ANDOVER . 



Regimental Institutes conducted on the Tenant System. 



FOR 

Active Service. 



The "Soldier's" Camera 

FITS ANY POCKET. 




Open for use. Made in 2 Sizes. 
No. 1 ENSIGNETTE (for Pictures 2.1 x li). 
No. 2 ENSIGNETTE (Ecr Pictures 3x2). 



Defective Eyesight. 




Protect your eyes while ®n ACTIVE SERVICE 
by using suitably Corrected Tinted Glasses, 



Curl Side Spectacles a Speciality, 



Nothing more suitable while in the Trenches. 



GLOBULAR SMOKED GLASSES protect the 
eyes from the excessive glare of the Sun. 




W. W. Scott & Co. ud. 

Ophthalmic Opticians, 

NOTE-oorooty Address. 180 SauchiehaH Street, GLASGOW. 




THE OUTPOST. 



The "Reid 6 Todd" CAMP KIT 



As supplied to Officers of the H.L.I, and other Regiments. 



LSlflP JHlIT; composed of— 

Bed in Bag, Wash Bath, and Basin in 
Bag, Folding Chair, Pillow, Folding 
Table, Fail, in Officer's Regulation Kit 



Bag complete, 



£7 10 O 



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Bed in Bag, Folding Chair and Fail, 
Wash Bath and Basin in Bag, all 
fitted in large Waterproof Bag with 
brass handle and padlock complete, £5 10 O 



Details. 



Wolseley Valise, - _ . 55/- 

Officer's Kit Bag, .... 55/- 

Sleeping Bag, 27/6 

Sam Browne Belt with Holster complete, 40/- 

Etc. 



Cork Mattress, - 
Water Bottle (Aluminium), 
Water Bottle (Nickel Silver), 
Waterproof Ground Sheet, 
Etc. 



12/6 
12/6 
17/6 
10/6 



REID <S» TODD, 



8 RENFIELD STREET, 

-GLASGOW. 



I 




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dgirroe, nii 1 MACKENZIE'S »-e 
be>fMld L-OTii|3tcfeon *iih hw grade 
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MACKENZIE & CO. 

:: (Glasgow), limited. :: 



THE OUTPOST. 



THE 



CITY CIGAR BOX 

16 NORTH STREET, 

RIPON. 



Choice Select ioji of Cigars, Cigarettes, 
and Tobaccos. 

Also large variety of Pipes, Pouches 
and Fancy Goods, 



Proprietrix, 



C. WINSOR. 



"marring irvrv 

D.FLEMING, 
39 A Ror?f i«Md Stro&t 



FOB. TlT-ie DJVTlNCi, 



m& K ixm 



39* RENPIELD STREET . 



R A S 

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59* RENNELI? STKEET ■ 



v^ . EQUIPMENT FOR OFFICERS , ,„ 

^^ AND RANK AND FILE . * w 



■ - 54/- 

- - as,'- 

- 45/- and 55/- 
82/6, 38/- & 42;(i 

33/- to 68/- 
17/6 & 19/6 



Wolseley Valise, unbound edges, - 

Do, leather bound, 

Army Kit Bag, .... 
Sleeping Sacks, Camel Hair Fleuee, 
Uniform Cases, .... 

Leggiugs, Whole lilorked Hide, 

Mirrors, Steel, 1/. to 5/6 

Casn B L -lts : - - 2/6 to 5/- 

Toilet Holdalls, - jt/g t„ S/g 

Husaifs, If. to 4/6 

Knife, Fork and Spoon (Combination), . 1/. to 3/9 

CAMP FURNITURE, in Sets, comprising:— 

Bed, Bag for Bed, Bath, Wash Basin and Stand in Bag, Folding Chair, Pillow, 
Bucket, Ground Sheet complete in Kit Bag, complete, - from £4 14s. 6d. per Set. 
6 different sets and free choice in each item of Camp Kit. Single articles at lowest prices. 
We send Complete Price List post free on request . 



Kit Bags, 2/6 to 9/6 

Kit Bag Looks, 1/- to 2/3 

Walking Sticks, Crook or Root Head, - - 1/- to 8/6 

Do., Leather Top, with Loop for Wrist, Xjii 

Sivagger Canes, H.L.I. Crest, - - - - 1/- 
MiuinLure Crest Brooches, Cilt, - - - - 1/- 

Do. do. Sterling Silver, - 2/6 

The New Kitchener Solid Tuel Stove, 

with Boiler, - - 1/- ; postage, 4d. 

Ee-lill 'fin of Kitchener Fuel, - 1/6 ; postage, 5d. 



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95 Renfield Street, 
GLASGOW. — 



THE OUTPOST. 



THE 



SPORTSMAN'S 
EMPORIUM, 

103 ST. VINCENT STREET, 



Telephone No. 
CENTRAL 6895. 



GLASGOW. 



the LEADING HOUSE for 

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FOUNTAIN PENS, ■*- ^_ l ™ s ck ke !I 



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Government and Army Publications 

KEPT IN STOCK. 



BOOKS ON ALL SUBJECTS STOCKED 
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♦ ♦ ♦ 



R. GIBSON & SONS (GLASGOW) Limited, 

45 Queen Street, GLASGOW. 



THE OUTPOST. 



FRESH MILK DAILY. COUNTRY EGGS AND BUTTER. 

Stewart's Dairies, 

29 Ayr Street, and 50 Portland Street, 
^^= TROON. ^=^= 

Specialities— HOME-BAKED . . ORDERS 

SCONES AND POTTED MEAT. PUNCTUALLY DELIVERED. 

FOOTBALL and RUNNING OUTFITS. 

We make a speciality of Athletic Outfits for men in training. Everything appertaining to Athletics. 

AT FOOTBALL. RUNNING. BOXING. GYMNASTICS. ~*8 

Our Costumes are made by practical athletes for practical use, hence the difference from others. 

INnftAD P.AMFS fftf r»mn ITto chess, draughts, dominoes, cards, wall quoits, 
inUUUM UrtmiwJ 10r Vamj> USe. deck QUOITS, and the latest Games Tor Winter Use. 

MILITARY ORDERS RROIV1 F»TI.V AND CAREFULLY ATTENDED TO. 

F. A. LUM LEY'S Athletic Stores, 

80 & 82 SAUCHIEHALL STREET Renfield St. Comer), GLASGOW. 



t)lCKIE, 




CROSS, TROON. 



FOR THE BEST GLUALITY 
IN EVERY DEPARTMENT 



Wines, Spirits, Groceries, Provisions. 



at 



Leading House Agent for the best Furnished Houses in Troon. 









xii. 


THE OUTPOST. 






FOR SOLID COMFORT 



"DICKBALATA 

SAND SHOES 



THE BEST FITTING AND MOST DURABLE SHOE 
:: :: FOR ALL PURPOSES. :: :: 

CAN BE EASILY REPAIRED AT VERY SMALL COST. 

fQl — PI 



Now in Extensive Use as Army Relief Shoes. 

C /SHK3S.. J ^. i^/SXKSX.. 



153 Argyle Street, m Ite^^^^ ^ Eglinton Street. 

552 Argyle Street, m n 254 Crown Street. 

553 Duke Street. ^ L 91 and 93 Paisley 

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76 High Street, PERTH. 



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43 Southbridge, EDINBURGH. 



S Church Street, INVERNESS. 
LONDON WAREHOUSE: 11 Cross Street, Finsbury, E.C., 



AND BRANCHES. 



R. & J. DICK, Limited, 
* GLASGOW. ♦ 



Scotland's Leading Florists . 



MALCOLM 
CAMPBELL 



LIMITED 



65 ST. VINCENT STREET, GLASGOW 



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Marriage 


and 


Presentation 


Bouquets 






»* ■ * 


a 


Speciality. 


** *• 




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Wreaths and other Floral 
Devices made up on shortest 
notice by our large staff of 
artistes 



Large Stock of Decorative 
Plants at our Nurseries, 
Kehrinside and ScotstounhilL 



ESTIMATES GIVEN FOR ALL KINDS OF DECORATIONS. 
ORDERS TAKEN AT ANY OF OUR BRANCHES. 




UNIFORM & 
CAMP KIT 

for O F F I C 

* 

MAKING uniform during fifty 
years has given us technical 
knowledge that enables us to cope 
•with the urgent Military demands 
of to-day. 

In selecting personal Equipment, 
or Field and Camp Kit, we can help 
you to choose correct Outfit. 

We shall gladly give you 
estimated cost of require- 
ments for any branch of 
His Majesty's Service. 



\VM. ANDERSON & SONS, Ltd. 
14 George Street, Edinburgh 

Telephone — Central 77 Tdegratni— Uniform?, Edinburgh 

Glasgow - - 1 06 Hope Street 



Write for Special Booklet 
" Military Equipment" 




frinted Mid PalriLshed for Hit Ha^an* Committee of the 17th {Seirrine) Battalion nighliuid Light Inlaitrj 
by D*vU J. Clark, os Unjoo Street, Glasgow.